2012 is a big year for the Smartphone, due to a huge leap in technological advances across the board. More and more people have smartphones – to give an example, 37% of Australians own one, lagging only behind Singapore. It had begun to seem that everyone should aspire solely to Apple iPhones or the Samsung Galaxy, which seemed to be the two companies at the summit of the market. These manufacturers could still suitably claim dominion, but they have a lot of mid-range offerings snapping at their heels for customers who want to save some cash.

The better the high-end phones are, it seems the better the high/mid-range phones are forced to become with the likes of Nokia, Sony, HTC and Motorola all introducing excellent new products.

The Nokia Lumia is the first Windows phone the company has produced, and it exudes all of Nokia’s previously vaunted charms. A Nokia wouldn’t be a Nokia without a clever interface to guide you through the phone’s manifold applications and usages, of which the average Australian uses 25 on any smartphone, one of the new favourites being an app for online gambling , and the 800 is no different. Designed primarily as phones and not convoluted tablets, the Nokia phone is often the easiest to use for those who like simplicity combined with cleverness. It has a beautifully simple design with a curved glass panel going right the way to the edge of the phone. Where some of the more minimal handsets look unspectacular, the Nokia has a ‘less-is-more’ elegance about it; a phone for the discerning buyer.

The Sony range will feature prominently in the end of year sales lists as they have the Xperia S, Xperia P and Xperia U on offer simultaneously. The Xperia U is the lower range phone but on first look it would appear one of the most striking on the display. It’s hard to class it as a lower/mid-range phone due to its quality, but this would be its natural market position. The Xperia S is highest ranking and ready to rival the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3.

2012 is set to be an era-defining year for the smartphone, with quality across the board and lines beginning to blur between the great and the good.